EXPLAINED: What Is Europe’s Great Drought? Is It Worst In 500 Years?

Europe’s Great Drought: No matter how powerful a continent or country is, all the power fails to keep its people satisfied when natural resources like water are in great shortage. The biggest rivers of Europe like the Loire, Po, Rhine, and Danube are all bearing the brunt of the drought. 

The situation goes worse when hunger stones and remains of sunken Nazi ships of the World War era,  come out at the surface from the rivers.

The Global Drought Observatory Report

The Global Drought Observatory is a part of the European Commission’s Research wing.

As per the recent report by the Global Drought Observatory, 47% of Europe now lies in “warning” conditions. This means that the soil has dried up in these areas.

Moreover, 17% of Europe’s areas show “signs of stress” in vegetation. This implies that these areas are on “alert”.

Adding to the woes of the continent, the report by Global Drought Observatory forewarns that the dry weather will have an adverse effect on crop yields, while it may also spark wildfires. 

Additionally, the situation is here to stay for several more months in parts of Europe. Preliminary data says that the ongoing drought is apparently the worst in at least 500 years!

Mariya Gabriel, Research Commissioner, states that the current heatwave and drought have “created an unprecedented stress on water levels in the entire EU.”

Through the report, it can be said that almost all the rivers of Europe have dried up. 

The number of troubles do not end here for Europe.

The energy sector, too, is getting adversely impacted by the dried rivers. A significant drop of 20% is seen in hydroelectric power due to the crisis.

The month of August did not bring any relief. In fact, the situation got worse in the initial days of the month.  It is expected that the situation will last till November.

The Warnings

According to the report, the rapidly-sinking river levels forecast a potential famine.

Additionally, parts of the UK have declared drought officially. The condition of those areas is such that some trees have turned auburn.

As per the report, the drought condition is worsening in countries like Spain, Portugal, Germany, Belgium, Italy, France, and the Netherlands. Similar situations are seen in Ireland, Ukraine, Romania, northern Serbia, Hungary, Luxembourg, Moldova, and the UK.